A time of transition – autumn at Bayview, Oxwich

Today marks the Autumn Equinox and here at Bayview, Oxwich, our holiday rental guests are taking advantage of the lovely weather and magical stillness we’re enjoying on these last days of summer.

It is a time of transition – our three girls have gone back to school, the swallows have left their nests, the day-trippers to the beach are fewer, and the days are getting shorter. But it is not a time of endings, but the start of autumn and winter, seasons which showcase Gower at its bronzed and beautiful best.

It’s a great time for you to come and stay in one of our luxury rental houses or flats and discover for yourself why the Gower peninsula was designated the UK’s first Area of Outstanding natural Beauty (AONB 1956).

For such a small peninsula Gower certainly packs a big punch when it comes to landscape. Here you can have it all within a few minutes’ drive from Bayview: beachscapes, dunescapes, cliffscapes, woodlands, moorlands, saltmarshes. And at this time of year – and in these socially distanced times – it is a real escape as you might hardly see a soul.

Here’s a taster to whet the appetite:

1.A spectacular, and apt walk, in autumn is that to Fall Bay. This is a well-kept secret, south of Rhossili (where there is ample parking) at Gower’s far western edge. It is difficult to get to but well worth the effort. Backed by low limestone cliffs, and offering a sandy bay at low tide, access from Gower’s coast path is steep and rocky but pure magic. In autumn and winter it is a great surf spot for locals and experts. It is also dog-friendly with no seasonal bans operating for four-legged friends.

2. For a moorland walk, there’s no better place than Cefn Bryn – Gower’s upland backbone – a 5-mile ridge that divides Gower into north and south. At this time of year it is golden and bracken covered, and offers 360 degree perspectives to Devon, Pembrokeshire, the Brecon Beacons and beyond. At the summit, you’ll find King Arthur’s stone, a Neolithic burial chamber called Maen Ceti in Welsh. Legend has it that the British king, Arthur, threw a stone from Llanelli (which you can see from Cefn Bryn) which landed in this position. Great place for a pit-stop and a photo-op. You can also enjoy a beer and great food in the pub that bears its name in the village of Reynoldston, at the base of Cefn Bryn.

3. Gower is blessed with a variety of Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Less than a 10-minute drive from Bayview, you can find Parkwood at Parc le Breos near Parkmill. Leave the car and step into 500 acres of woodland containing mature oak, ash and conifers and home to buzzards, woodpeckers and a variety of bird and insect life. Nearby, you’ll find yet another burial chamber – this time a Neolithic cromlech standing in what used to be a former Mediaeval deer park.

4. Go a little further and you’ll find the quite north of Gower offering yet another face of this peninsula. Here you’ll find a vast expanse of saltmarshes, mudflats and tidal ditches near the villages of Llanmadoc, Landimore and Llanrhidian. This is a great place to walk and birdwatch as the terrain is a bountiful feeding ground for wading birds and wildfowl, as well as rich grazing grassland for Gower’s famed saltmarsh lamb.

We’d love you to make Bayview, Oxwich your base – and home from home – from which to explore all the big experiences our little peninsula offers. Please contact us to discuss which of our holiday rentals is best for you, and your family and friends. We look forward to seeing you soon.